ASP Europe Updates 

Spring Leg Starting April 1, 2010

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 11 March, 2010 : - - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe is proud to announce the confirmation of an exciting Spring leg to kick-off April 1, 2010 for a series of six consecutive events in four different divisions including both men and women surfing.

The Goanna Pro Tapia, an ASP 1-Star Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) men and women’s competition running from April 1 to 3 in Tapia de Casariego, Spain, leads the charge out of the boxes. Being one of Europe’s longest running events, the Goanna Pro Tapia has been able to adapt to an ever increasing competition schedule deciding to opt for a second year in a row for the longboard format.

Being of maximum importance as the European decider towards qualification for the ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT), both male and female longboarders from all over Europe will gather for a shot at the regional Top 2, the only way to win a ticket for the elite events of the division.

“The Goanna Pro Tapia has been supporting professional surfing in Europe for almost twenty years,” ASP Europe Regional Director Grégoire Puget said. “With its unique typical village and longtime surfing culture, it is natural to see longboard surfing get back to one of the first surfing events in Europe. It will be a great start for our 2010 tour.”

The ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star O’Neill Cold Water Classic (CWC) Scotland by Swatch, second stop of the O’Neill CWC Series running between April 13 and 19, will be the first stop for WQS athletes in Europe, the tour heading to the extreme northern highlands of Scotland. With the world famous righthand point break of Thurso East expected to unleash its perfection, the 2010 ASP WQS European Tour will once again see a gathering of the world’s best surfing talents in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic for a great show.

“The O'Neill Cold Water Classic Scotland is one of those events that makes our sport so special,” ASP Europe President David Mailman said. “It is a unique and challenging destination that brings diversity to the tour and is a draw card that never fails to deliver for the best surfers on the planet.”

The ASP caravan will then move to France for the ASP WQS 4-Star Protest Vendee Pro in the town of Bretignolles-Sur-Mer and its renowned reef of La Sauzaie. Situated on the West coast of France just below Brittany, the typical French style outback will host a crucial stop of the 2010 tour with no less than US$ 85,000 up for grabs. With three consecutive years of French winners at La Sauzaie, the massive crowds will be back to support the region’s best surfing athletes and witness an exchange of barrels, powerful carves and vertical assaults.

La Sauzaie will not only give our men’s WQS campaigners a great opportunity but also welcome the first stop of the 2010 ASP European Women’s Junior tour, the ASP Grade-1 Breti’ Girls Pro Junior launching the exciting and highly competitive division that has seen surf star and ASP Women’s Elite rookie Lee-Ann Curren (Biarritz, FRA) blitz through to a successful career.

“The Protest Vendee Pro is a really cool event,” former event champion Tim Boal (Anglet, FRA) said. “It's good to see a contest in a different part of France. I won my first important event there a few years ago and ended up qualifying for the tour the year after so it can definitely be a good stepping stone for European surfers.”

Two major ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star events will wrap-up the opening leg of the 2010 tour, the world’s best female surfers hitting the world famous beachbreaks of Estoril in Portugal and Hossegor in France.

Running for the fourth consecutive year and having witnessed exciting battles from the world’s best in the Estoril area ten minutes from Lisbon’s historical center, the Estoril Billabong Girls will once again give a great opportunity for points and dollars, the epic waves from last year’s edition making competition officials confident of seeing the famous barreling beachbreaks deliver the goods once again.

Adding a back-to-back opportunity for women’s surfing in Europe, the new 6-Star rated competition will see Hossegor become the center of attraction as sixty women battle for the prestigious crown.

The selection of dates shall allow for good quality waves at any of the breaks in the Hossegor/Seignosse/Capbreton area and fewer people in the line-up compared to summer. These two back to back events will prove crucial for overall yearly ratings points.

April 1 is just around the corner and with the finishing touches being applied to the events we are certain of a fantastic start to the ASP Europe competitive year.

www.aspeurope.com
www.surferruleweb.es
www.aspworldtour.com

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Grégoire Puget

Magazine - Surfersvillage